Blind
by TheFluffyPrince
Summary: Haruka ended up losing his vision in an accident and is unable to swim until he's grasped the feeling of being blind for the rest of his life. So, Makoto decides that he needs to cheer up his friend and take him to a place that he hasn't been to in a while.


**A/N: So, I remember seeing a prompt where Haruka becomes blind and he can't see water any more (and probably isn't allowed to swim without someone watching him). So, Makoto comes and helps his friend out by taking him swimming and taking him to the beach, etc.**

**Also warning, I do not have a lot of knowledge on what happens after someone becomes blind after an accident. So more than likely, some things are inaccurate in this story. I apologize ahead of time.**

**Pairing: MakoHaru**

**Warning: Blindness, AU**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Free!/Swimming anime**

* * *

Blind.

If there was one thing that Haruka had thought would never happen to him, it was the fact that he would end up losing his vision. It had never crossed his mind once in his lifetime that he'd have to end up giving up so many of his hobbies because of one little accident. Drawing, cooking, and in some way, swimming. That had hurt the most for him. He could still swim, as long as he had someone there to supervise him, because for some reason, his doctor had it in his head that Haruka would end up drowning in a pool just because he couldn't see anymore. He didn't need his sight to swim. However, he wasn't allowed to swim competitively for the time being, which he could understand. He doubted that he'd be able to swim competitively at all.

Clenching his fists tight together, Haruka resisted the urge to slam his fist against the table. Ever since the accident, he had found himself losing his temper a lot more. Normally, he was pretty calm and put together. But now, he felt like a loose cannon, a broken fuse that was threatening to explode. His friends had remarked on his behavior, but he hadn't said anything in return.

After all, what was he supposed to say when he already knew how he acted?

Sighing roughly, the male let his head fall against the coffee table. Along with the anger inside of him, the suffocating sadness that echoed through his body also tended to show up every once and a while. It wasn't as consistent as the anger, but it was still present nearly every day since he had left the hospital. And when it did show up, it was much more unbearable than the anger could ever be. Usually, the sadness overtook his body and made him feel as though he couldn't breath, his chest feeling as though it was constricted. It would get so bad that he'd end up having to gasp for air and clutching to his chest. Sometimes, he'd end up actually crying, which only ended up making breathing much harder.

The doctor told him that it was probably panic attacks that he was suffering from. Apparently, they were pretty common in patients that had suffered a great loss or a sudden change. And of course, the doctor had told him not to let himself panic if he found himself suffering from one and instead to just _"breath deeply and focus on a pleasant memory"_. Well, that was much easier said than done, but Haruka had been able to pull himself out of most of his panic attacks by himself by focusing on memories of swimming and the swim club. Any others that he had went through, he was lucky enough to have Makoto there by his side to pull him out of.

...Speaking of Makoto, it was surprising that the other male still wasn't here yet. Usually, Makoto was already at his house before he woke up. His friend had been elected by the rest of the swim club to watch over him, since they were much closer and were comfortable with each other. At first, Haruka had put up a bit of a fight, arguing that he didn't need anyone to watch after him. However, he was surprised to find that the presence of another human in his house, even if he couldn't see them, actually did more wonders than he had thought. He could focus on something that wasn't his beating heart or the sound of water dripping from the leaky faucet in his kitchen. The silence wasn't as deafening when Makoto was around.

But now, now the silence was becoming unbearable. It was stifling to him and the more that he sat around, it just got worse. So, gritting his teeth and wringing his hands together, he stood up and began pacing around the room. Pacing was something that he hadn't normally done before losing his vision, but now, it kind of helped him think. Whenever he was left to his own devices and just wanted to slip into a rhythmic motion, he would pace.

However, there was only so much pacing he could do before the silence slipped right back in and began to suffocate him again. Sucking in a harsh breath, Haruka clenched his jaw tight and pressed his back against the wall. He couldn't take much more of this. This was completely unbearable. This feeling of weakness, of vulnerability...it made him want to rip his hair out and scream to the world.

Thumping his head back against the wall, Haruka found himself slowly sliding down the wall until his bottom was resting against the floor. His hands were grabbing onto his hair, pulling the strands enough so that he could feel a slight pain in his scalp. The pain helped for a few seconds before it was drowned out by the silence once more.

He couldn't take this anymore. There was nothing to distract him, nothing to hold his interest long enough to keep the suffocating emotion away from his body. So, as the familiar constricting feeling settled into his chest, he found himself grabbing his shirt tightly. His breathing picked up, mouth opening wider to try and get more air into his lungs. But no matter how much he breathed in or out, it wasn't enough. He couldn't get enough air and the constricting feeling in his chest was getting worse.

Wheezing slightly, Haruka could feel tears prickling at the edges of his eyes, threatening to fall down his face. He couldn't handle this much longer. It was becoming too much for him to handle. A dizzy sensation washed over him and he could feel his body starting to sway slightly, sending him right down onto the floor.

But before his face could make contact with the wooden floor, he felt two hands grasping onto his shoulders firmly, fingers digging into the flesh through his clothing. Eyes widening, although unable to see, he could only face up in surprise. Taking in a deep breath, a familiar scent tickled his senses and Haruka felt a little bit of the tension leave his body.

_Makoto._

Feeling those familiar arms wrap around his body in comfort, hands brushing down his unruly hair, he continued trying to catch his breath. Soft shushing noises entered his ears and a faint whimper left his mouth as he was slowly brought back down from the beginnings of another panic attack. It thankfully hadn't been as bad as previous ones, but they were all exhausting and a bit terrifying nonetheless.

"Makoto," he choked out, clenching onto his friend's blazer.

"Shhh...just focus on breathing right now Haru...," he said in that comforting voice of his.

Unable to argue with his friend (not that he really wanted to), Haruka just followed his suggestion and tried to control his breathing. It was much easier to breath now with Makoto holding onto him, distracting him from his negative thoughts. Slowly but surely, he was gaining back his breath and his heart was slowing down to a semi-regular pace. But even when he had calmed down, he found himself still holding onto Makoto. And thankfully, the other male didn't seem to mind too much.

They remained sitting on the floor for what felt like hours. Haruka's face was burrowed in Makoto's neck, breathing in his scent and listening to his heartbeat. The steady beat of the other male's heart lulled Haruka into a sense of security. He felt his eyes drooping shut and his breathing slowed just a bit more. He suddenly felt a bit tired, even though he had woken up a few hours ago.

"..._Makoto_," Haruka slurred out, yawning softly.

Makoto's hand came to rest on Haruka's head, petting his hair gently. "Shhh...just rest right now," he whispered, a pair of lips pressing against his head.

A grunt left Haruka mouth and he turned his head to the side slightly, kissing Makoto's neck softly before he dozed off into a light nap. He vaguely felt the other male picking him up and carrying him through his house. But due to the sluggish pace that his mind was now working, he couldn't quite place where Makoto was taking him. He only assumed his bedroom or the guest room, since those were the only places with beds. When he heard the door opening and closing, he assumed that Makoto was taking him into his room. That didn't really explain the sudden breeze that he felt on his legs, but he was too tired to think about it at the moment.

Not even a minute passed by before he ended up dozing off in Makoto's arms.

* * *

A groan left Haruka's mouth and he frowned for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. He was comfortable at the moment, surrounded by warmth. Humming softly, Haruka turned his head to the side, trying to bask some more in the warmth. A faint smile came to his face and he nuzzled the mass of warmth underneath him.

His mind was a bit slow to wake up, but he ended up noticing something was strange after a while. First off, he was laying on someone's chest, their hands rubbing his back softly. He would normally freak out in such a situation, but he knew that it was Makoto who was holding onto him instead of some stranger. He had been around the other male long enough to recognize how his body felt against his.

But that wasn't what stood out to him. What stood out to him was the fact that the heat on his back wasn't from a cover or sheet. In fact, there wasn't any kind of sheet covering them. Furrowing his eyebrows, Haruka slowly lifted his head up and strained his ears to try and figure out where they were. It felt warm, much warmer than it had been in his house. There was also a breeze blowing by them.

Shivering for a moment, Haruka slowly got off of Makoto before turning around in the direction of the breeze. He had no idea where he was at the moment, so he really didn't want to go wandering without Makoto to help guide him.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long for Makoto to get up. He heard shuffling behind him before arms wrapped around his chest, pulling him back until his back rested against his torso. Letting out a content sigh, Haruka let himself relax against Makoto's body.

"Makoto...where are we?" he asked softly, turning his head around slightly to face the taller male.

A soft hum reverberated through Makoto's body and he continued playing through Haruka's hair for a moment before pressing his chin down on his shoulder. "Why don't you guess first? Then I'll tell you if you're right," he whispered.

Frowning in mild distaste, Haruka clicked his tongue but did what Makoto told him to do. No point in starting an argument over something stupid like this. He strained his ears, trying to catch some kind of sound that would alert him of their current location. At first, he couldn't really hear anything, given the fact that he was still distracted by Makoto's presence. However, as the minutes ticked by, he slowly drew away mentally from the other male and concentrated his other senses on the things around him.

A familiar crashing noise reached his ears, which caused him to frown for a moment. The noise was really familiar, extremely familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He knew that he had heard it before, but he wasn't sure from where. Taking in a deep breath, Haruka hummed curiously as another smell penetrated his nose. Eyebrows furrowing even more in confusion, Haruka sniffed the air for a moment. It smelt really crisp and fresh, with a bit of a salty edge to it.

When another crash echoed around them, followed by fainter noises, Haruka's eyes widened in shock and he tensed in Makoto's arms.

They were at the ocean.

His heart gave a thump in his chest and Haruka felt as though he couldn't breath for a moment. It had been so long since he had been near water, let alone at the ocean. His body trembled in anticipation and he felt Makoto's arm tighten around him for a moment. Haruka bit his bottom lip harshly and he could feel tears coming to his eyes.

"Makoto...w-what...," Haruka stammered out, not quite sure what to say.

It had been a few months since he had last been near water after his accident. The doctor had warned him against going into any pools or into the ocean until he was back in top shape and had someone to help watch over him. And to be frank, those months had been complete torture. So used to swimming in the school pool, it was completely unsatisfactory to have to go back to soaking in a bathtub. But, it was his only option.

But now...

Sniffing a little bit, Haruka brought a hand up to his eyes to wipe away the tears that were still in his eyes. It was times like this that he wished that his still had his vision. He had always loved the scenery of the beach.

"Haruka? Are you alright?" Makoto asked him in worry, hands gripping Haruka's shoulders.

Taking in a deep breath, Haruka nodded his head and cleared his throat. "I...I didn't expect for you to bring me here," he mumbled, wringing his hands in his lap.

"Of course I would bring you here. I know how much you love the water, and you haven't really been able to leave the house for a while. So, I just thought that you'd like to come to the beach," he said.

Hearing Makoto's explanation, Haruka couldn't help but smile. Makoto was always looking after him, even when he wasn't aware of it. "I...I'm not sure what to say, but...t-thank you."

"You're welcome, Haru-chan," Makoto said in response, pulling away from Haruka.

A sound from the back of Haruka's throat left his mouth before he found his hand being taken. A gasp left his mouth as he was led down onto the sandy beach towards the water. He could feel the sand sinking in-between his toes, starting to get underneath his toenails. He knew that later on when he got home, it would be a pain getting the sand off of his body, but he couldn't find himself to really care at the moment. There was large grin on his face as they got closer and closer to where the shore met the water.

When his feet made contact with the water, he couldn't help but yelp in surprise. Makoto's hand tightened around his for a moment and he squeezed the hand back in response. Blinking for a moment, he let himself walk through the cool water, toes digging into the sand.

Drunk in the feeling of the water brushing over his feet, Haruka left Makoto lead them down the beach. The faint breeze brushing by them brought a shiver down his spine. He clutched at Makoto's hand a bit tighter before he moved closer to him, practically pressing himself to his side.

The two continued walking down the beach for an hour or so, just walking through the water and talking. And while Haruka was not able to see his surroundings, Makoto ended up describing the scenery to him. And while to most people, words couldn't describe everything, to Haruka, they could. Makoto's words meant a lot to him and helped paint something in his mind that only he and the other male could experience.

"...with reds and oranges mixed together. The sun is starting to set now...the sunset looks really pretty, you know. Do you remember that time when he left the swim club later than everyone else and you let me bring you to the beach before going home?" Makoto asked.

Haruka made a noise and nodded his head, stopping when Makoto ceased walking in front of him. "You told me that you liked looking at the sunset."

Makoto chuckled and Haruka could only assume that the other male nodded his head. "Yeah, I do. Well...it looks kind of like that sunset. But much brighter. The colors are brighter...there are a lot of shades in the sky. It's like one of my siblings had been allowed to play around with red, orange, and yellow paint," he explained, chuckling again under his breath.

Haruka chuckled as well, looking in the direction where he felt the heat of the sunset. He couldn't really see anything other than a dull light, but the image that Makoto placed in his mind was enough at the moment. He felt Makoto move closer to him until a hand wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer. Giving a soft sigh, Haruka leaned against the other male, resting his head against his shoulder while they both stood on the shore, looking out to the sunset.

* * *

**A/N: Haruka keeps giving me so many feels, it's not even funny.**


End file.
